The Ruining of Adrian Singleton
by Gwenneth Tinuiel
Summary: How exactly does Dorian Gray ruin people?


_Disclaimer:_ _Quoted conversation between Dorian and Adrian from Chapter 16 of The Picture of Dorian Grey. All characters belong to Oscar Wilde, except for Sarah and Helen, who are my own creation. _

The Ruining of Adrian Singleton

As he sat, slumped down on a grimy table, Adrian Singleton looked up to see a very familiar face. He shook his head, confused by this man's appearance in the slum of this seedy opium den. He seemed cleaner than everyone else here. He looked with eyes that were focused on reality, not glazed in a drug-induced stupor. He even still wore a wilted flower in his button hole. He seemed young and out of place, but Adrian knew that this other man had been here before. In fact, this was the man who had first taken him to a place like this. His name was Dorian Gray, and Adrian had assumed he would never see him again.

* * *

He had first heard the name of Dorian Gray from the whispers of Sarah, his beloved Sarah. It was only a few days after their engagement was formally announced and the late spring buds of that year still flowered. Adrian remembered the smile on her face as clearly as it were yesterday, as she looked lovingly at him as they strolled through the garden.

"What do you find so intriguing, my dearest?" She took his hand in her own, beginning to look concerned.

Adrian cautiously asked, "Who was that man… Dorian Gray, was that his name? You mentioned him only a few moments ago. I do not know who he is." He did not know what his fascination was with this mysterious Dorian, only that the name made him intrigued. He had heard stories about him, and for some inexplicable reason, wanted to meet him.

"Yes," Sarah answered, crinkling her nose, "that was his name. The only reason I mentioned him was because of an awful rumor that I heard from one of my friends. That is why I planned on rejecting his invitation."

"You received an invitation from him?"

"I did," she said, handing him a crinkled piece of stationary. Adrian could barely read the note contained on it. The invitation was for tonight at Dorian Gray's house.

Adrian looked toward Sarah, and spoke carefully. "I do not see the harm of attending. He may be the subject of gossip, but that certainly does not mean we cannot meet him once. I think we should plan on attending, if only to see if those disgusting rumors about this man are true."

Sarah turned her head away for only a moment, to ponder this decision. Then she nodded to Adrian and continued walking. Adrian smiled slightly when she did this, and put his arm around her as they continued to stroll. He only pretended to listen to her chatter about the birds and the flowers that they past. His mind was focused only on the mysterious Dorian Gray.

* * *

That very night, Adrian found himself in the house of the mysterious Dorian Gray, with Sarah at his side. They had only just arrived from the warm London street that smelled of the gardenias planted at the imposing entrance of the house. Walking into the opulent room, he looked around eagerly, wishing to see the mysterious figure that he had come here to meet. He saw many familiar faces, smiling and making polite conversation. Then, in the far back corner, he saw a young face talking animatedly with Lord Henry Wotton, whom Adrian had previously met. He knew instantly that the young man was the host of this party. He was partially obscured by a large group of people gathered around him. He was not as tall as Lord Henry, and he looked to be no older than twenty-five. His light brown hair seemed to shine in the light from the large, ornate window behind him. His clothes were made of the finest silks and satins. He talked animatedly with each guest as they passed him, welcoming them to his home.

Adrian slowly approached the back corner, trying not to draw attention to his movements. He was stopped a few times, speaking distractedly with acquaintances and being introduced to other guests. Although polite, he never remembered their names. The only thing on his mind was the young man in the corner, who he so desperately wished to speak to.

He finally approached him. Adrian noticed a pale pink rose in Dorian's button hole. Dorian turned away from Lord Henry slowly and faced Adrian for the first time. He smiled, albeit in the remote manner one usually reserved for complete strangers, and asked, "May I ask for your name?" Adrian, never one to keep silent in proper society, could not find his voice. For what seemed like an eternity, he stared into the face of Dorian Gray. There was a mystical aura around him, almost a magnetic attraction. He was captivated and did not completely understand what it meant. All he knew was he wanted to impress this strange gentleman. He suddenly realized that staring, gaping like a fish, during this introduction was probably not a way to achieve that goal. He quickly responded, "I am Adrian Singleton. I was invited here along with my fiancée, Sarah." He gestured to her, suddenly remembering that she was at his side.

"I am Dorian Gray and the gentleman to my right," he indicated Lord Henry, "is Lord Henry Wotton, a dear friend of mine."

The four continued to make polite conversation for a few minutes, until the arrival of Basil Hallward caused Dorian to move towards the front of the entrance hall. Sometime later, Sarah and Adrian followed the crowd into the lavish dining room. They were seated at the far end of the table with the other young guests. They conversed with them, discussing politics, business and other subjects of the day. Adrian watched Dorian from afar as much as it was politely possible. The other man seemed to be enjoying himself immensely; he took a large portion of each dish and talked animatedly with the world-wise older gentleman seated near him. Adrian envied his gregariousness and charisma. When Adrian Singleton left the dinner table that night, he knew he wished to come back again.

* * *

The next week, Adrian received an invitation to attend another dinner party in two day's time. Sarah declined to attend, saying to Adrian, in private, that she would have nothing further to do with Dorian Gray. Disregarding her sentiments about Dorian and still wishing to attend, he went alone. He was seated beside Dorian that night, and the two talked for hours after all the other guests had left. After their conversation began to end, Dorian invited him to visit "some friends" in another part of London. Adrian agreed.

The opium den that Dorian took him to was dark and cramped. Adrian had never been anywhere like it. All around him, people laid in a drug-induced haze. Only one man acknowledged the two of them as they entered. The two walked towards him. As they moved closer, Adrian realized that the man was Lord Henry, who offered Adrian a pipe. Soon, all three men were lost in the powerful grip of the smoke. Adrian returned home when reality returned to him. He had never felt as alive as he did in that moment. He felt clearheaded, powerful.

This feeling lasted through multiple trips to that same squalid opium den with Dorian. He felt unstoppable, until one morning in late June. He looked in the mirror, as was his custom, to see a much older looking man staring back at him. He hadn't slept very well for many months, and his face was now dominated by dark circles under his eyes. He also noticed that his hair had begun to turn grey and he had deep creases in his cheeks. He didn't understand what had made him appear to age so dramatically. Dorian still looked the same, as youthful and vigorous as he always had; why should it be any different for Adrian?

* * *

That afternoon, he went to see Dorian. Adrian studied his face carefully. He looked no different. His unlined face smiled at him as he said hello. He wore a red rose in that same button hole. The two conversed about plans to see a play later that night, then Adrian turned and walked out of Dorian's home, where he had spent countless hours, unbeknownst to him for the very last time.

* * *

When he returned to his own home, Sarah was standing in the foyer with another woman whose name Adrian could not remember. They were discussing him. "Sarah, I would be careful about marrying him. In these past few months, there seems to be something different about him. He has a strange glint in his eye. I hear he's been frequenting dangerous places with unsavory people. I just don't wish for anything bad to happen to you because of him."

"I have seen this too, Helen. He has changed drastically since he met Dorian. I am unsure…" Sarah stopped abruptly as she saw Adrian in the doorway.

Adrian stared open-mouthed into Sarah's face. He simply did not realize he had become the subject of gossip. He thought that he hadn't changed drastically in that time, or at least, not enough so that other people would notice. Helen abruptly excused herself and left Sarah and Adrian staring at each other. Sarah was the first to speak. "What has happened to you, Adrian? Why have you changed so much? You used to be so happy about our future together. But now, I can barely hold a conversation with you. That man changed you. You are no longer the handsome, carefree man I loved." She looked at him for a moment, then turned around and walked towards the door. Adrian simply stood there, unable to move or to stop her. She left her engagement ring lying on the table, and it glistened in the late afternoon sun.

After that scene, Adrian was too hurt to even think about seeing Dorian again. And after losing Sarah, he knew he could never face anyone from that part of his life again. He thought about leaving England, but he soon found himself in an opium den, simply trying to forget the memory of Sarah. Time passed, until the memories faded.

* * *

However, at this moment, the memory was no longer simply a memory. The pain of loss came flooding back to Adrian. Dorian was talking to him again, but this was different. Adrian could tell that Dorian, like himself, only wanted to escape from the troubles of his life, not to see Adrian. He seemed unnerved to see Adrian and desperate to escape. He wasn't offended by Dorian's slight coldness to him; he knew what it was like to want to escape.

Dorian turned away from Adrian and asked, "You will write to me if you want anything, won't you?"

Adrian replied "Perhaps." He knew he would never write to him.

Dorian said goodbye and left him still slumped at the table. Adrian could never ask for anything from Dorian. His relationship with Dorian had cost him many things, but not his pride. He absent-mindedly drew a simple flower on the dusty table in front of him. He wished for things to be as they once were. He almost wished he had never seen those flowers on the walk with Sarah only a few months ago, had never smelled those flowers on the warm summer night, had never seen the red rose in Dorian's button hole. He stared at the flower he had drawn in the dust. He wiped it away with his sleeve. He would never see flowers again.

* * *

_A/N: Adrian Singleton dies soon after, still slumped in that opium den. _


End file.
